tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58163424192928633902017-12-13T10:51:30.898-08:00The Montana DreamCome along as I live and work in the Big Sky Country; taking clients out on some of the greatest trout waters in the world.Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.comBlogger934125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-82321116059842440912017-12-12T12:43:00.001-08:002017-12-12T12:44:08.835-08:00The Name of the Game...Maintain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1mjjV-ZtAdg/WjA-Nxr-L9I/AAAAAAAAKdk/9-FTbuGQGG0EtTasoq0bfMHj7I2AtBqUgCHMYCw/s1600/2017-12-12%2B13.37.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1mjjV-ZtAdg/WjA-Nxr-L9I/AAAAAAAAKdk/9-FTbuGQGG0EtTasoq0bfMHj7I2AtBqUgCHMYCw/s640/2017-12-12%2B13.37.29.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The duck hunting sucks so in order to stay active, I decided to get a head start on the winter weight loss objectives. Here's the deal though, I'm a realist and I'm going to Minnesota for Christmas and my mom makes the absolute best cookies on the planet so I know I'm in trouble. Maintaining where I'm at right now is the goal. I'm not going to lose weight. We'll save that for January thru April. My first day back under the bar I was at a buck ninety-six. I'm hoping to be there on January 1st. I wish you all the luck in your efforts to maintain too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-7005849187985941882017-12-08T08:20:00.002-08:002017-12-08T08:23:57.748-08:00The Montana Dream Cast: Duck Hunting Tips, CWD in Montana, and Those Damn Walleye Guys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_XT7_Po6Hc0/Wiq2sDrYlaI/AAAAAAAAKYg/rWz6dbBA24gWRd3dfwbFzw5FJD6bhdA1ACHMYCw/s640/IMG_20171202_121331_536.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><br />Scott and I opened up the show debating the authenticity of purchasing trees from The Home Depot versus going out and hunting for one on your own; not to mention, it's only $5 for the tree permit. This is the one we harvested out in the National Forest.<br /><br />Check out the podcast for all that's happening in the hunting and fishing world with The Montana Deam Cast:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6inx5-7e7296#.Wiq2FU5UOUQ.blogger">Duck Hunting Tips, CWD in Montana, and Those Damn Walleye Guys</a><br /><br />Here are some of the news articles we were discussing:<br /><br />More animals and more hunting opportunities? Sounds like the wolves aren't having as much of an impact as some hunters suggest.<br /><br />http://helenair.com/lifestyles/recreation/more-animals-more-hunting-licenses-in/article_12589913-6a4d-5577-9644-2e763763cad3.html?utm_content=bufferfb873&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=LEEDCC<br /><br />Chronic wasting disease in Montana.<br /><br />http://helenair.com/lifestyles/recreation/montana-mule-deer-killed-near-canadian-border-tests-positive-for/article_df8be0f6-2b66-53db-b85a-149f02801325.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest<br /><br />http://helenair.com/lifestyles/recreation/first-of-its-kind-hunt-aimed-at-testing-montana-deer/article_6f841b48-090d-5a0f-ac55-bc21debe2efc.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest<br /><br />Someone introduced walleyes to Swan Lake. FWP and Trout Unlimited are offering big-time rewards to find out who.<br /><br />http://www.dailyinterlake.com/local_news/20171205/fwp_swan_lake_walleye_came_from_helena<br /><br />We also give tips on duck hunting so I want to leave you with something that tends to get overlooked way too much:&nbsp; PICK UP YOUR SHIT! Your mom, nor your wife, are on the river to pick up after you. I'M SO TIRED of seeing the spent shells, the water bottles and the energy drink cans left in the blinds on land that someone, who doesn't have to, has granted you permission to access. YOU A-HOLES should be ashamed of yourselves.<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...<br /><br />Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-13240799200931991912017-12-04T08:14:00.000-08:002017-12-04T08:14:10.755-08:00I Chose Beer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sQI2zceFEHY/WiVvcRqc20I/AAAAAAAAKVI/6pTfDs-xn9QuCnOeENfUtEU4QCJntrYrwCHMYCw/s1600/2017-12-04%2B08.52.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sQI2zceFEHY/WiVvcRqc20I/AAAAAAAAKVI/6pTfDs-xn9QuCnOeENfUtEU4QCJntrYrwCHMYCw/s640/2017-12-04%2B08.52.42.jpg" /> </a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know, everyone was waiting to hear if I went hunting or went for beers last Friday. Well, here you go. And if you haven't been to Ten Mile Creek Brewery yet, check them out the next time you're on the walking mall in Helena. The Montana Dream Cast definitely appreciates their support with sponsoring us. They provide the 'muscle,' if you know what I mean. When things go a bit south during the show, it's usually because we're a growler deep. Check it out,&nbsp;http://montanadream.podbean.com/ and remember, if there was beer in heaven it would probably be from Ten Mile Creek Brewery!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As for the waterfowl hunting, it has yet to materialize. We got early snow and cold about a month ago, which made it good for a while but that was also during the big game gun season. I got out a couple times after punching my tags and did well but those days are gone. We need more snow and more cold.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last night a couple inches dropped in the valley so today could be the day. We were out in it yesterday and didn't fire a shot. This has happened before though, were it's the day after all the snow when things get good but I'm not sure last night's storm was significant enough. The rest of the week looks like it will warm up again and no more snow in site so if it's not today, then we'll have to hope for another bigger system to stir things up.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was looking at my blog from last year and it was Dec. 7th when everything turned and the ducks started piling in. It's all weather dependent though and it doesn't look great anytime soon. It could be another late, epic season. We just have to be patient.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-60707957369789515532017-12-01T10:02:00.001-08:002017-12-01T10:02:36.187-08:00What To Do?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-FdWp3e69s/WiGWppRm-kI/AAAAAAAAKQI/9QbAJVd3clUytzy4SKT0Aq8U9_UYL_zDQCLcBGAs/s1600/shells%252Bdecoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="1600" height="389" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-FdWp3e69s/WiGWppRm-kI/AAAAAAAAKQI/9QbAJVd3clUytzy4SKT0Aq8U9_UYL_zDQCLcBGAs/s640/shells%252Bdecoy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I'm sitting here in my office, watching the geese fly by and I'm struggling with what to do this afternoon. Go hunting! Right? Well, I did that a couple days ago and it would appear that the ducks and geese that are around, have it all figured out. I watched as ducks landed in spots that you couldn't get to and geese sat in their little holding spots until 15 minutes before sunset, got up, flew 200 yards into a field and sat back down. In the spots you could get to, where there were birds; once they were bumped, they wouldn't come back.<br /><br />"What are your options?" One might ask.<br /><br />Well, I could put the Meat Wagon in and try a new spot or I could clean my shop and have a couple beers later at the local brewery and wait for weather to bring the freshies.<br /><br />It seems like this is the time of the year where guys like me are chomping at the bit to get out and shoot some waterfowl so we'll jump the gun, so-to-speak and put the time into setting up decoys and building blinds and then sit for a couple hours only to watch hundreds of golden eyes fly by. The local ducks have moved on and although we had some weather pushing ducks down a few weeks ago, the snow has melted and those ducks have either moved on as well or they've spread back out along the front in little pockets of open water.<br /><br />The beer is starting to look good but I keep seeing those damn geese flying by my window...dang!<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-53436839981179748392017-11-27T08:30:00.002-08:002017-11-27T08:30:53.403-08:00Time To Shine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RFLhZLQC64o/Whw4vKyr08I/AAAAAAAAKN4/Qq_LteCDZEAjuiDqIrnVePqoKBl4WJ7EwCHMYCw/s1600/2016-12-11%2B21.39.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RFLhZLQC64o/Whw4vKyr08I/AAAAAAAAKN4/Qq_LteCDZEAjuiDqIrnVePqoKBl4WJ7EwCHMYCw/s640/2016-12-11%2B21.39.42.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2017 regular gun season for big game is closed now, so Cutter; you're up. That's right. We're going to load up the Meat Wagon with decoys and start getting after it really soon.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're wondering about the "Meat Wagon," we had a little competition on The Montana Dream Cast to name my recent purchase of a duck/hunting boat and Scott Hirschi ruined it by coming up with the only real option so Meat Wagon it is. Look for T-shirts soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I actually have been out a couple times for waterfowl with some success. I've just been so busy cutting up meat from deer and elk that I didn't get a chance to report on it. It's kind of that early season, mixed bag time of the year so with the a few mallards I've been getting redheads, shovelers, gadwalls, and widgeons. We did a little taste test on the podcast where I cooked up the redheads and widgeons and I have to say, they were pretty damn good. That surprised me because redheads are diver ducks and I usually think those are pretty nasty. I was wrong. Check out the podcast for the full review:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8szuc-7cd7b0</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, here's a link to Hank Shaw on Amazon so you can check out some of his cooking books. I used some of his tips from 'Duck, Duck, Goose' to cook the ducks.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=hank+shaw&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;index=aps&amp;hvadid=181896915313&amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=1796844229034116896&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=b&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9021229&amp;hvtargid=kwd-11480170655&amp;ref=pd_sl_5dbz3jth8g_b_p19</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-36779676014308699192017-11-20T10:43:00.000-08:002017-11-20T10:43:38.119-08:00One and Done? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2P1QW9X9b8o/WhL5_b68FuI/AAAAAAAAKLM/3A0yGhlH_jUIsNHS7SHCK_NEwb6kCszQwCHMYCw/s1600/IMG_20171119_115327_121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2P1QW9X9b8o/WhL5_b68FuI/AAAAAAAAKLM/3A0yGhlH_jUIsNHS7SHCK_NEwb6kCszQwCHMYCw/s640/IMG_20171119_115327_121.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It took me eleven seasons, hunting Minnesota and Wisconsin during the archery seasons and gun seasons to make it into the "Ten Pointer Club." Jill decided to try deer hunting this year--went hunting twice, saw two mountain lions and the first shot she has ever taken at big game, dropped this guy.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do you remember your first deer? I do. I had been hunting since I was twelve. I watched my brother shoot deer--our neighbors...friends. I didn't shoot my first deer until I was 17 and when it finally happened, it was more of a relief than any kind of sense of accomplishment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was almost like, "Finally! The monkey is off my back..." Now I can be one of&nbsp; 'those' guys on the plus side of the fence who can share stories of success rather than the same 'ole defeat of getting blanked year after year.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember walking up on the deer after shooting it. I had made a good shot and the deer was dead before I got to it. I wasn't really sad but I know I felt a little bit of the weight one feels or should feel, when taking a deer's life. It's a heavy kind of feeling and a few of my friends actually admitted to shedding a tear or two after their first kill.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A lot of what goes into that feeling of relief and sense of accomplishment, is just the lack of opportunities we had as kids, to shoot deer. Don't get me wrong. We had a lot of deer in Minnesota but we also had a lot of competition for those deer on public lands. We also had to try to get it done during a nine-day season with school and work getting in the way. I remember spending entire gun seasons not even seeing a deer, which can get incredibly frustrating and defeating. Hunting in the West is different and if you have a good 'in' on a ranch, that definitely helps.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a really good relationship with a landowner west of Great Falls who let's me hunt his property. Most of the time, I take out kids or folks who have never shot a deer to this spot because it doesn't get a lot of pressure and we usually get our opportunities. And we usually see some good deer but I'd rather save these spots and these deer for the rookies and new-comers rather than the trophy hunters including myself. The landowner appreciates that as well. He's all about getting kids and other people into the outdoors that normally wouldn't get the chance to have this kind of experience or feel the sense of accomplishment it truly is to take a buck like this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jill, Patrick and I left the truck yesterday just as the sun was coming up. We had parked in the bottom of a drainage. The plan was to hike up a few hundred yards to an outcropping of rocks that looked over a coulee that fed down to the main drainage. We didn't get very far before spotting a couple deer opposite the outcropping where we were headed, at the top of the ridge above us.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"There! Look." I said as I brought my binoculars up. "Oh man, it's a doe and a good buck. Really good buck. We gotta go." Plan B went into effect.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The three of us dropped into a small coulee that fed down from where we spotted the deer. It gave us just enough cover to get down-wind of the deer and out of sight until we were in range of getting a shot. As we got to the top, I peaked over and spotted the buck chasing the doe only about 100 yards away. We all got down and crawled about 40 yards to where Jill could get up on her knees, put the .270 Ruger Hawkeye on the sticks and get a shot.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When you look at the photo, it's pretty obvious we were in some wide-open country. If we can see the deer at 50 or 60 yards, they can see us. Things have to happen pretty damn quick and even though this is private land, these whitetails aren't like the mule deer. When they see or sense something not quite right, they get the hell out of Dodge and when they do, they don't stop for anything until they are well out of sight.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to tell Jill to aim a little low on the deer. We were close and the bullet is still rising at that distance. Plus, I had sited the gun in for 200 yards. Even at 100 yards, the bullet would hit a little high.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We watched the deer as it circled a couple times, chasing the doe. One second it was facing away, head down, nose curled up sniffing the doe and the next; spinning, looking directly at us--head up and neck extended. It was impressive with its thick neck all rutted up, nostrils flared, feet together almost like a bull ready to charge. I was asking Jill if she had him in the scope. She did but the wind was blowing 30 mph, which is incredibly difficult to hold steady in.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Put the crosshairs at the base of the neck..." I was trying to coach her.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The deer moved again. Now it was broadside.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"There. Perfect. You on him?" I whispered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was fully expecting Jill to tell me she couldn't do it, which would have been fine. She's never been in this situation. She's never shot at or killed anything like a deer or anything bigger than a duck. You never know fully, how you're going to feel or react at that moment. The wind was blowing. The buck was looking at us. There were a couple of deer off to the side that looked like they may have busted us as well. It all goes so fast and before I could get a sense for what she was thinking or where she was now, on the deer...Boom! The .270 rang out and the deer dropped.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a perfect world, that would be the end of it. We would all walk up on the deer. It would be dead. Jill would sit in the truck while I dressed it out because it is kind of gross. We would load it up and high-five our way to a breakfast diner. But that's not what happened because those perfect shots, where the deer drops and doesn't move, aren't always the reality.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shot was a little high. The deer dropped but tried to get back up. Jill watched as it scooted across the ground and caught its antlers in a barbed wire fence. It struggled and we quickly finished it off with a second shot in the neck. That's never a good scene for anyone--even the grizzled veteran let alone a rookie hunter. And if it doesn't bother you, there might be some question of whether or not you have what it takes to wield the kind of responsibility to kill something like a deer or an elk or anything else we choose to hunt.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm incredible proud of Jill for putting the sneak on this deer and successfully taking a good, ethical shot but I also know how difficult it was for her to watch the deer struggle. I know she's proud that she has contributed to putting food on the table and for the accomplishment but I also know it wasn't easy for her and she might not ever do it again. It was her idea to get the tag and to hunt. It very well could be the first and last deer she shoots and that's ok. Would it be different if the deer hadn't struggled? Maybe. But if you're going to hunt, you have to be ok with the reality that sometimes it doesn't work out that way. It might be your first deer. It might be your tenth but eventually, you will see the, 'not-so-clean' or perfect shot and that will have an impact on you. That feeling is a good thing and hopefully it teaches us all to know our limits and to do everything we can to take good shots so we mitigate an animal's suffering.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I share this story because I want to promote and idea of what hunting is to me. I'm not a blood thirsty predator that pumps his fists every time an animal hits the ground or the water. It's why I really appreciate some hunting shows that show that side of hunting and can't stand the bro's out there that think it's all about the kill and having to build a separate addition on the house for all the trophies. The guys and gals I hunt with celebrate with a hand shake or a hug and even a tear from time to time. Then we all participate in the process of helping each other pack out our game as Mitch Kowalski did for me when I shot my elk this year and I did for him and his wife a few days later. I actually enjoy that part of the process as much as I do pulling the trigger because I know how important that meat is&nbsp; and that's when I feel the most connected to the hunting community.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jill decided to do something incredibly far outside of who she is because she knew that if she were successful, she would be helping out a friend--a single mother who likes venison but doesn't have a way to get it. So that's what I'm really proud of her for--not so much that she was able to pull the trigger, but that she did so, participating in this act of building community through hunting. She put someone else's needs first, knowing it was going to be difficult but knowing she would be helping out a friend.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jill made it into the "Ten-Pointer Club" this year, which is impressive. The more impressive thing to me however, is her participation in a bigger and more important community of people helping each other out through hunting. Maybe next year she'll put a pack frame on and haul 80 lbs. of elk shoulder out of the mountains....well, maybe 40.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-23128797240716802972017-11-16T08:29:00.000-08:002017-11-16T08:29:02.524-08:00Chris Bracket and 'Fear No Evil' Displays Their Idea of Good Hunting EthicsHey ya'll,<br /><br />Join the discussion on this week's, The Montana Dream Cast! Here are some readings to help:<br /><br />Read about Chris Bracket poaching a deer in Indiana. You can even watch the video! If you're going to have a hunting show, let's promote ethics and being good stewards of the resources. We are all faced with tough decisions from time to time when we're out in the field and sometimes, we don't make the right choice. Shooting a deer that the land-owner asked you not to is bad enough but when a bigger deer walks out right afterwards and you shoot that one too, even though you already shot your one deer allowed? Inexcusable. And then to not even go recover the first one? I personally hope every business pulls their sponsorship on your show and you find yourself behind a desk selling paper products at Dunder Mifflin. You had your dream job and you blew it.<br /><br /><a href="http://whackstarhunters.com/chris-brackett-accused-poaching/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank">http://whackstarhunters.com/chris-brackett-accused-poaching/</a><br /><br />Wisconsin is trying to do without a minimum age to hunt. Would you support this for your state? Does your state even have a minimum age requirement and do you think it works?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank">http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/</a><br /><br />Would you prosecute this 14-year-old?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank">http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/</a><br /><br />Listen in as Scott Hirschi and I talk about these things as well as much, much more on:<br /><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-er6sj-7bfa10#.Wg26fCogj-8.blogger">Chris Bracket and 'Fear No Evil' Displays Their Idea of Good Hunting Ethics</a><br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...<br /><br /><br /><div data-test-id="message-view-body" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, &quot;Lucida Grande&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class="jb_0 X_6MGW N_6Fd5" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 24px; padding-right: 16px;"></div></div><div class="H_7jIs D_F ab_C Q_69H5 E_36RhU" data-test-id="toolbar-hover-area" style="-webkit-box-align: center; align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #26282a; display: flex; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, &quot;Lucida Grande&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 64px; margin-left: -8px; margin-right: -20px;"><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/13/missouri-girl-14-thought-she-shooting-deer/860605001/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank"><br /></a><br /><div class="D_F W_6D6F r_BN gl_C" data-test-id="card-toolbar" style="-webkit-box-pack: center; cursor: default; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 1362px;"></div></div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-27875096261543711572017-11-11T14:45:00.000-08:002017-11-14T16:37:30.233-08:00Patience is a Virtue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a-oWyAHg4tQ/WgdonujZUWI/AAAAAAAAKGU/XCS6agyjk1k7b_ks1yHGzUWZIoc-2jWogCHMYCw/s1600/20171109_173147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a-oWyAHg4tQ/WgdonujZUWI/AAAAAAAAKGU/XCS6agyjk1k7b_ks1yHGzUWZIoc-2jWogCHMYCw/s640/20171109_173147.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, through all the doubt and the heavy snow, patience paid off and the freezer will be stocked. I've hiked up that same mountain about a dozen times this year including archery season and I'm&nbsp; not going to lie, I thought about giving in and trying a new location. I actually did hunt out East during archery season as well as Boulder a couple times but I had to come back to the Honey Hole and even though there was absolutely no sign of an elk the last couple trips, nor were there any sign in the last few weeks since the opener of rifle season, I knew they would be back and well, the proof is in the puddin.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each trip, I averaged about 5 to 6 miles to get in and back to the truck. This last week with the snow made it that much tougher especially when you're not seeing any sign of anything but moose. Moose are cool but they won't fill the freezer unless you're lucky enough to draw that tag. I'm still waiting. I mentioned last week that doubt was definitely setting in and it was. It's a lot of work and you feel defeated--like you wasted another entire day when you're not seeing anything. But sometimes, you just gotta trust the process.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I walked up to a series of parks Thursday afternoon. It was the last place I had seen any sign of elk but even that was weeks ago. I was half-way up the parks when I glassed back across the drainage and got a glimpse of a cow walking through the timber. They're here!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That elk disappeared but then I spotted another one in a saddle creating a corridor to the series of parks on the other side of the ridge. It's go-time.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hiked through the timber and up the ridge to the parks where I cut a set of tracks. It was hard to tell how old the tracks were but they looked pretty fresh. I followed them until I felt pretty confident I wasn't going to catch up to them and I really didn't think they were from the elk I had spotted anyway. I was running out of light so I turned back, working my way into the park adjacent the ridge where I had spotted the elk. When I got there, It looked like a heard of cattle had been grazing in that park.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I skirted my way along the edge of the timber, not seeing anything but beds and tracks and tons of droppings. A week ago, this park was a virtual dessert only the sand dunes were snow drifts. There hadn't been anything except the occasional deer and other hunters to break the smooth surface of snow. Now, it looked like a heard of about 50 to 75 elk were living up there, destroying the clean snow-cap over the grass and the shrubs and rocks.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did I miss them? Is that possible? Did someone else get there first? Did the wolves spook them out? On my way in on the trail I saw two things that made me think this; wolf tracks and blood in the snow along the trail. I kept telling myself that the wolf being there meant they were there for a reason and the blood; well, maybe someone did shoot one but I did see a couple going through the timber so I knew they were still there.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I walked the edge of the park and came up on a pile of droppings that were still on top of the snow. I know this is going to sound gross to those of you that don't hunt elk but I took my glove off and picked up one of the droppings and squeezed it to see how fresh it was. It wasn't frozen. It wasn't even cold. It was really fresh.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before I could get my glove back on, I caught something out of the corner of my eye running across the park. I focused on it as it crossed behind a finger of trees protruding out into the park and sure enough, elk. Not only one but several but they were on the move.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Fuck!" I thought. "They winded me and they're gone."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a buddy Mitch, who always tells clients this in the boat; "Panic kills armies."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's true and when you're fishing or hunting, panic kills opportunities. Scott Hirschi and I talked about this on the last podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4isue-7b1171#.Wgd1jGRLpYE.blogger">Kill All The Wolves! And anything else that keeps me from shooting an elk...</a>&nbsp;You have to slow things down or you will choke. As these elk were cruising across the park, I thought about taking a running shot but at 150 yards, that didn't seem like the smart thing to do. I remembered I had my cow call around my neck and I gave a quick, "mee-eww." They stopped.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I put the gun on my shooting sticks but the elk had stopped behind that finger of trees. I could see one of the elk through the trees and thought about pulling the trigger but then stopped myself. One little branch would deflect the bullet and they would be gone. The fact they had stopped with the cow-call meant they weren't totally freaked out so I waited for a second and they took off again. They cleared the trees and were out in the open and as I got one of them in the cross-hairs, again I thought about shooting on the run. Instead, I hit the cow-call again and again, they all stopped, which gave me just enough time to put the cross-hairs on the lead cow and squeeze.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tell-tail sign of a good hit is when the report of the bullet hitting something solid comes back at you a second after the initial shot. The other sign of a solid hit is when the elk actually drops. Both of these things happened and as I stood up, it only took a couple more seconds for me to start planning the next 12 or 14 hours... This elk was about a mile and a half from the truck. I was by myself. I was going to need help.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some of you reading this might think, "What's the big deal? It's only a cow, right?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yeah, you're right. It's not a trophy by any means. I kind of equate this with deer hunting in the Midwest. For most people, they put in for doe tags and when they get one, they think, "Sweet! That just upped my chances of putting venison in the freeze by like 5 times," but it's still no guarantee. I would say the success rate of shooting elk out here is much like that of shooting a deer in the Midwest. For most, even a doe is an accomplishment.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I've been pretty damn successful for the past decade--mostly during archery-season. When I haven't done it with a bow, I feel my chances with a rifle are greatly diminished. There are more people in the mountains. The elk get pushed around. They are really spooky so I just think it's harder--even with a cow tag so I'm stoked. I've got meat in the freezer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know. Those of you that know me, know we are not struggling to get by but we do eat a lot of elk and venison and other wild game species. We could buy beef and honestly, when you look at how much it costs to drive up into the mountains, to buy shells and food and everything else when taking a hunting trip, we're not coming that much out ahead by harvesting elk. But, it's meat that is well worth the effort as it's not jacked up with hormones and it's lean and it tastes excellent. If given a choice, I'd eat elk.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So there you have it. Even with all the doubt and the second guessing, this season has been a success. Now, Jill is going to get her chance again, to shoot her first deer. It's gonna happen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-6701666572725375132017-11-07T08:10:00.002-08:002017-11-11T13:19:37.260-08:00Fruition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P1DADgzBIxA/WgHSLEMhYEI/AAAAAAAAKEA/zIXzjJNJRxYw9R5rr-ByXkviWaYEi7vSwCHMYCw/s640/16950.jpeg" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The plan was to buy the cheapest boat I could find that still floated and could handle a motor to get us upstream and back. So I searched Craig's List and Helena Classifieds on Facebook and bought a boat for $140. I spent a few bucks on sandpaper, paint, and about $300 on converting my flatbed raft trailer with rollers and a stem with a nose pad. I also borrowed a 9hp motor from John LaRue and then he and his son, Johnny and I tested out the plan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We drove the boat, (do you drive a boat or ride?) to a big chunk of BLM land along the river and hiked up and over the canyon wall and into a drainage. We spotted a few deer--nothing we wanted to work that hard to get out, and some bighorn sheep. I saw literally, one of the biggest rams I've seen in the wild in that drainage. (See the previous post.) When we got to the bottom of the drainage, a nice buck popped up and Johnny put a great shot on him. One down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had left the boat about a mile downstream so I went to get it while John and Johnny took care of the first buck. On my way to the boat, this buck was clueless to his surroundings as he was tearing into a poor willow tree. I walked up to it and well, it's a good buck and it was an easy drag so...</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WE2c2osg40s/WgHLinefDqI/AAAAAAAAKDs/d7agifJyvmQF7wNOwHvYl48oI9Ryn7XUQCHMYCw/s1600/IMG_20171105_202820_985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WE2c2osg40s/WgHLinefDqI/AAAAAAAAKDs/d7agifJyvmQF7wNOwHvYl48oI9Ryn7XUQCHMYCw/s640/IMG_20171105_202820_985.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The plan pretty much worked to perfection. We were able to get to some spots where these deer had very little pressure and were not the least bit spooky. We were able to load them up after a reasonable down-hill drag and get back to the truck in less than a half-hour.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I know by writing this, I'm encouraging everyone and their brother to go out and buy a boat and hit some of these spots and that might be true. I'm sure we're not the first to think of it and I'm sure others will try it in the future. A couple things you need to know, however; you can't shoot deer along the river unless they are on BLM or State lands. Even below high water marks, you would need the adjacent landowner's permission. The other thing is you really need to know where the boundaries are. Make sure to bring your GPS and the last things is be safe and wear your PFDs. We were pretty heavily loaded on the way back and had we had to travel upstream, it probably wouldn't have happened. As it was, we hit a wave coming off a bridge abutment and just about swamped the boat.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P2dOpohZct8/WgHSKzUDr-I/AAAAAAAAKD8/DOlZ3Fh9vNA_Sa79ePwy7PBuXitvegUgQCHMYCw/s1600/16952.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P2dOpohZct8/WgHSKzUDr-I/AAAAAAAAKD8/DOlZ3Fh9vNA_Sa79ePwy7PBuXitvegUgQCHMYCw/s640/16952.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r5kCvQ29T3g/WgHLhjr2hDI/AAAAAAAAKDk/rHKyosybDsUbZ8Xq0d5QWPfJPHSSCzazACHMYCw/s1600/IMG_20171105_203156_449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r5kCvQ29T3g/WgHLhjr2hDI/AAAAAAAAKDk/rHKyosybDsUbZ8Xq0d5QWPfJPHSSCzazACHMYCw/s320/IMG_20171105_203156_449.jpg" width="320" /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gJa_FGQ86GE/WgHLh5rTyqI/AAAAAAAAKDo/Uk_B8oJ68PcbVF5XJLBtk9sksU1IhrHMQCHMYCw/s320/IMG_20171105_202942_653.jpg" width="320" /></div><br /><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HLVmQ618MOc/WgHWK1C1u7I/AAAAAAAAKEM/1BbuAEDIK_g4nY8Kx03z7ALnnUAsSAolQCHMYCw/s1600/2017-11-06%2B21.28.24-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HLVmQ618MOc/WgHWK1C1u7I/AAAAAAAAKEM/1BbuAEDIK_g4nY8Kx03z7ALnnUAsSAolQCHMYCw/s640/2017-11-06%2B21.28.24-1.png" /></a></div><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div>So now I have this boat and trailer and it would be a shame to just let it sit, right? Well, the deer hunting wasn't going to be the only use. There are also some spots I'd like to get to for duck hunting. I still have an elk to shoot though and Jill still wants to shoot a deer. With the weather the way it's been, by the time all that happens, I'm not sure there will be any ducks left. I'm serious. The ponds are already locked up and the birds are on the move. We shall see. <br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...<br /><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-13619124841566991562017-11-06T08:19:00.000-08:002017-11-06T08:19:43.980-08:00Pussy Cats in the Sun<div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WEAjy0jgBOA" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jill decided she wanted to give big game hunting a try this year so I took her and Patrick up to a piece of state land along the Recreation Road near the Missouri River to look for deer. We hiked to the top of the ridge and started noticing cat tracks. I'm not real good at identifying tracks in the snow but I was pretty sure they were mountain lions. I pointed them out to Jill, not really thinking much about it or even fully believing they were lion tracks.<br /><br />We pushed up the ridge and saw a slide were it looked like two of the cats took down a deer and slid with it down the mountain for about 50 yards. "The shit's getting real," I thought to myself but still questioned whether or not the scene actually played out the way the signs were telling us.<br /><br />I crested the ridge and started looking for deer when I caught some movement below. There it was; a mountain lion sneaking along a cliff wall and then quickly went out of sight. I glassed the cliff and was amazed to see a second cat sunning itself and then another one just up the wall from it also sunning itself.<br /><br />I waved Jill and Patrick over to get a look at them. They were less than a hundred yards away--totally content on bathing in the sun and watching us, watching them. That's the crazy thing about these cats; they'll just lie there watching the world go by and they won't move or hide or do anything because they don't have to. You usually won't even see them. We talk about it all the time where we know there are cats there but they are just too smart and too sneaky to ever lay your eyes on them. It's actually kind of scary, especially since I just heard of a guy, (we talked about it on The Montana Dream Cast last episode,) who was attacked by one of these cats last week. For the most part, they don't want anything to do with you but there are those occasions...<br /><br />Just to give you an idea of how rare this is; I've been hunting in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Montana for almost 40 years. I have worked and lived in the back country of Montana and have put on some serious miles hiking around for elk, bear, deer, grouse, even juvies, and just about anything that lives in the mountains. I have never seen a mountain lion outside of the one or two that crossed the road in front of me late at night. The chances of getting close enough to shoot one without dogs treeing them is next to nothing. This was pretty cool and I'm glad Jill and Patrick were able to see something most of us will never get.<br /><br />The next day, I took John and Johnny LaRue out on a little adventure to test out my theory/plan to put a boat in on the river and motor into some of the chunks of BLM sections that don't get any hunting pressure because they're just too hard to get to. We'll talk more about that as the plan definitely worked but before a shot was fire, we ran into this guy. Trust me; this ram is huge. It's the biggest one I've seen in the wild in person. We do see some rams throughout the summer and I even posted a pic of one last August that was barely legal. This ram had a more than a full curl and it's just a testament that the strategy to re-introduce these guys is working and that the bruisers would rather just hang out were nobody can bother them until the time comes when they do their thing...<br /><br /></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rKJ88cSO8cU/WgCASo_LDFI/AAAAAAAAKDE/YPNXlZdcHEIlvVW3p52elf36v64buZ5kQCHMYCw/s640/20171105_143736.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Both this pic and the video above were taken through my binoculars. We got to about 150 yards when I took this photo. I don't have the attachment so the photos aren't great but you get the idea. Eventually, my phone died and I didn't have the GoPro with me but we wound up getting about 60 or 70 yards from him and then...the plan came to fruition.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. The violence has to stop and we as sportsmen and women need to do our part. #sportsmenagainstgunviolence and be a part of the conversation.&nbsp;</div></div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-30324977379875114422017-11-04T08:37:00.000-07:002017-11-11T13:22:37.936-08:00Too Much?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eS7ZYpCG-wU/WfzQ6yveIjI/AAAAAAAAKAA/0qs_KL3O2jI58HvA6gCOJRt80AYjC_IrQCHMYCw/s1600/20171103_094908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eS7ZYpCG-wU/WfzQ6yveIjI/AAAAAAAAKAA/0qs_KL3O2jI58HvA6gCOJRt80AYjC_IrQCHMYCw/s640/20171103_094908.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the scene from my buddy's house in the South Hills of Helena. I'm looking out over the Helena Valley. Usually, you can pretty much see the entire town from this vantage point with the Capital, the Catholic Cathedral, Carroll College--all the way out to Bob's Valley Market and on to the Sleeping Giant. It's what we pray for this time of the year for better elk and deer hunting. It's why I was so confident about my hunt on Thursday that I actually drug a sled up the drainage to my little honey hole. You gotta believe, right? Well, I did believe and the elk still hadn't shown themselves and walking out, I started thinking about patience and belief and when is too much of anything, too much.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As for the snow, it's ok. It can stop now. I mean, there's a couple feet of snow at around 6,000 feet and in the high country, there has to be a good three or four feet. That should move the elk down. What seems to happen on public lands, is the first weekend, hoards of people hit the mountains in the lower elevations and it pushes all the animals up to where no roads go and they are relatively safe. They'll stay there as long as they can get to the food in the parks and they can move around relatively easily. Three feet of snow will definitely get them to think about heading back down-hill.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the past few years, that snow didn't come until late in the season or even not until after the season. It made it really tough for hunting those public lands. Now we have the snow and it's only the first week in November. We still have three weeks to hunt so this year should be a slam dunk, right? But here's the deal; the harder it is for the elk to move around, the harder it is for the hunter, which again, can be a good thing because fewer folks will be able to get out and those of us that can hump our ways through the drifts should be able to capitalize. The problem is, I'm getting old and the last couple days of pushing my way through the snow has kind of been kicking me ass. Too much?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other thing is the idea that with enough patience and belief that the elk will eventually be back in my little honey hole, could be preventing me from exploring other options. How much patience is too much patience. When does a person just need to sell out and look for other honey holes?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's an expression I use for fishing in small creeks when you know there's a trout in a hole but he just won't take a look at your fly. "Someone pooped in the punch bowl." I'm guessing I don't have to explain that too much. I just wonder, with all the pressure from the past few years, if this little honey hole has turned into a shitty punch bowl. Doubt is creeping in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the way, the last couple days hasn't been a total bust. While walking in on Wednesday, I jumped three moose. On my walk out on Thursday, I cut a moose track that I wasn't completely sure wasn't an elk. When I turned the corner, I found a bull moose literally standing two feet from my sled that I had stashed. He turned and looked at me and we stood staring at each other at about 60 yards. I have officially seen more moose than elk this rifle season...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...&nbsp;</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-45457238607365914052017-11-02T11:20:00.003-07:002017-11-02T11:20:54.494-07:00Early Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-54cFVC8NrFg/WftfblDS4BI/AAAAAAAAJ-g/AjtTKShskeALnhTNviBxxt0m9IdzCohNgCHMYCw/s1600/20171102_092748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-54cFVC8NrFg/WftfblDS4BI/AAAAAAAAJ-g/AjtTKShskeALnhTNviBxxt0m9IdzCohNgCHMYCw/s640/20171102_092748.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>My timing on this duck-boat thing could have been a little better as this major snow event hit Montana yesterday. But here's the deal. It should be good for the elk. I did get out in the mountains yesterday, thinking maybe they would be out in the parks feeding all day but I was wrong. I did see some deer and a few moose but no elk. I'm calling my shot today though. When the snow flies, my little honey hole becomes elk central. Giving them a day to get good and hungry should help bring them out. I'm so confident, I'm even going to bring a sled in with me. Yeah, I don't care about the potential jinx I may be bringing onto myself. It's going to happen! And after it does, I'll be hitting the river with my "new-to-me" duck boat chasing greenheads and mule deer in the little BLM pockets throughout the canyon.<br /><br />Check out The Montana Dream Cast as Scott and I discuss strategies for a successful hunting season.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-r5tbu-79d8fc#.WfnkK4W2qFc.blogger">Montana Dream Halloween</a><br /><br /><u>Keep 'em where they live...</u>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-6470768917012671762017-10-25T07:29:00.003-07:002017-10-25T07:29:42.862-07:00The Project <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fv_1Wftm13Y/WfCTvzwu21I/AAAAAAAAJ00/_yKOQ_c9pTQIVBZiSSSUEu8m0AxNr9iqACHMYCw/s1600/20171024_093427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fv_1Wftm13Y/WfCTvzwu21I/AAAAAAAAJ00/_yKOQ_c9pTQIVBZiSSSUEu8m0AxNr9iqACHMYCw/s640/20171024_093427.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ppgHjEsUBW4/WfCTwu15AtI/AAAAAAAAJ08/JapVj_cuX5AY-ExrXiRF-luOy0dSFq3gACHMYCw/s1600/20171023_110632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ppgHjEsUBW4/WfCTwu15AtI/AAAAAAAAJ08/JapVj_cuX5AY-ExrXiRF-luOy0dSFq3gACHMYCw/s640/20171023_110632.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-xxa77-7935ab#.WfCdP4XD80M.blogger">The Project</a><br /><br />Click the link above to listen in as we talk about my new project. I always wanted a duck boat to get up and down the river during the season so I bought one. This is going to take some work. Follow along with the transformation. I also have to convert my trailer.<br /><br />Here are some links for this week's The Montana Dream Cast.<br /><br />http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/tv-series-starring-kevin-costner-is-seeking-additional-extras-for/article_4d7b43a9-2352-5d6b-ae44-c57d8db77ae7.html#tncms-source=home-top-story-2<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/small-montana-firm-lands-puerto-ricos-biggest-contract-to-get-the-power-back-on/2017/10/23/31cccc3e-b4d6-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.bba3408df789<br /><br />http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/court-upholds-decision-to-exclude-snowmobiles-bikes-on-recommended-wilderness/article_dd29fa43-925c-51d1-bba4-173e0e3575d8.html#tncms-source=home-latest-1<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-69981307157046866972017-10-23T09:02:00.003-07:002017-10-23T09:02:55.318-07:00Project Healing Waters, Fall 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1mYLD9jPZ5Y/Wexf8aGoXRI/AAAAAAAAJuk/YAJHJjsLfe42ZURUrAPBbQxZ2KkQbGWZQCHMYCw/s1600/2017-10-22%2B03.06.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1mYLD9jPZ5Y/Wexf8aGoXRI/AAAAAAAAJuk/YAJHJjsLfe42ZURUrAPBbQxZ2KkQbGWZQCHMYCw/s640/2017-10-22%2B03.06.51.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our Fall 2017 Project Healing Waters trip on the Missouri went off without a hitch. Here's Vance and Mark with their first double of the day. A big thanks to the guides who helped make this happen: Beth Hood, Drew Christian, Dave Sewak, Dave Carnahan, Billy West, and Matt Mortenson. The conditions were tough but everyone had a great time. I also would like to that The Trout Shop and their staff for helping out with getting out of the shop in the morning and a fantastic BBQ after the fishing.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you ever want to help out with a Project Healing Waters even, or if you are interested in participating as a vet, check out the website:&nbsp;http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For local chapters, go through the links. This particular trip and the trips I do with PHW is out of Great Falls, MT. Your project lead is John Lynn. He'll help you get involved. Thanks John for all your work!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-30826349886640711942017-10-18T08:02:00.001-07:002017-10-18T08:02:32.753-07:00October 17 Podcast--Resources<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--p0J-xT9o5k/WedmxP3597I/AAAAAAAAJtc/uJdoZy3r0rIdc-_p9E9KSFl6NM2BjMbXACHMYCw/s640/DSC_1506.JPG" /></div><br />The pic above illustrates how efficient a hawk can be devouring a duck if you leave it in the field for any amount of time.<br /><br />Listen in on this week's "The Montana Dream Cast" as Scott and I talk the end of the Packer's season, being "bear aware," prep for the rifle season, youth hunts and Ryan Zinke as he fulfills Trumps mission to undo everything Obama did with the exception of the parks and national monuments out here in Montana.<br /><br />https://montanadream.podbean.com/e/aaron-rodgers-out-time-to-hunt/<br /><br />Bear aware:<br /><br />http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/livingWithWildlife/beBearAware/<br />http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/hunting/nr_2658.html<br /><br />Youth hunts and the apprentice hunter program:<br /><br />http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licenses/all/apprenticeHunter/default.html<br /><br />Ryan Zinke:<br /><br />https://www.cbsnews.com/news/interior-sec-ryan-zinke-wants-smaller-monuments-but-not-at-home/<br />https://apnews.com/d112892cf5d24e27b27820bd3c8cb9f4<br /><br /><br />And check out all that's happening at Ten Mile Creek Brewery this weekend!<br /><br />https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=ten%20mile%20creek%20brewery<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-89171237153180565272017-10-16T08:11:00.000-07:002017-10-16T08:11:07.112-07:00Moving On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AqoyLq52J-w/WeTFCOTENwI/AAAAAAAAJqo/_JYbKtsM4dgl8bMQ2VCDvehPh6de-btRgCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1021" height="496" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AqoyLq52J-w/WeTFCOTENwI/AAAAAAAAJqo/_JYbKtsM4dgl8bMQ2VCDvehPh6de-btRgCLcBGAs/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />If you're a Packer's fan, today might feel like the end of the world. I am and I'm pretty bummed but the reality is, is one injury to an NFL team can and often does, cost you the season. I'm just glad I have other things to look forward to for this time of the year.<br /><br />1) I haven't shot an elk with a rifle in 15 years. That's right. For the past 8 seasons, I've shot 7 elk during bow season so by now, I should be done. This year however, I couldn't capitalize on the few opportunities I had so now it's time to put my brand new Ruger Hawkeye, .270 to the test. I have yet to shoot anything with it so I'm excited to break it in.<br /><br />I realize that many people feel the .270 is a bit light for elk but I'd rather go for accuracy than knock-down power. I've struggled with the pump action Remington 760, .30-.06 I inherited from my dad so I'd rather know I'm going to hit 'em than just try to hit 'em hard.<br /><br />2) Ducks...<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ueo36tLE4&amp;list=PLCQcU4BIu4Hl4OAUTjrstMeo7Cd7FYPC5&amp;index=2&amp;t=144s<br /><br />3) Mule deer. I still haven't shot a big mule deer since living in the West. I've seen some monsters when I haven't either had a tag or had permission to shoot one, so I'm hoping this is the year. I have whitetails on the wall, antelope, elk; even a 30 inch walleye but I don't have good mule deer. Again, the Ruger is going to get some work this season.<br /><br />4) Jill is going to shoot a deer. Yep. Jill has shot ducks, she's shot huns but she has never shot a big game animal and this year is the year. We're going to start her out with a whitetail and see how she does. Will it be a one and done situation? Will she get the bug? Will she even pull the trigger? We will find out and you can hear about it on The Montana Dream Cast.&nbsp;http://montanadream.podbean.com/<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ath3m0EGZDU/WeTKy-ALjtI/AAAAAAAAJq8/AROcTuYhYY0hKdU_XL2rlbz651j20VvPACLcBGAs/s1600/jillssprig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ath3m0EGZDU/WeTKy-ALjtI/AAAAAAAAJq8/AROcTuYhYY0hKdU_XL2rlbz651j20VvPACLcBGAs/s400/jillssprig.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><br /><br />5) Upland birds...I haven't really hunted upland birds for a few years. Maybe this is the year to get back into it.<br /><br />So yes, I feel like my football interests have reached a 1 out of 10 now since Rodgers went down but it just get's me off the coach and up in the mountains to do more exploring. Oh yah, and the World Series is also coming up.<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-72177730155045749332017-10-11T07:30:00.000-07:002017-10-11T07:30:21.149-07:00Guns, Gun Violence and the NRA<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">I know, you're probably thinking, "Every time something happens in this country to stir some controversy, this guy thinks he needs to add his two cents..." Well, I do because I think it's important that we discuss these things and try to move forward.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">A buddy of mine and I were driving along, listening to the account of what recently happened in Los Vegas, when he turned to me and said something to the affect of, "You know what? Maybe it's time we just get rid of all these assault weapons. This guy would have never been able to do what he did if the guns weren't available." He went on to say, "I'm just tired of hearing about all these shootings and we can do something about it."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">(You can hear more on that conversation and about our hunting trip by going to:&nbsp;https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fez7r-774baf)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">The guy that was saying this is an outdoors-man, a father, a gun owner, hunter, angler, likes to shoot shit, and pretty damn conservative and also, I would say, reflects the feelings of most of us outdoors people. What he was saying was pretty consistent with most of the hunters I know and this conversation was similar to a lot of the conversations I've had recently with other hunters, even before this shooting. So what the hell is the problem? Well, I'll tell you. It's the National Rifle Association. Yep. And if you think it's not, just keep reading.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Do you know how many people think it's a good idea to have universal background checks in order to purchase a weapon? It's well over 90% of Americans, both Dems and Republicans according to a recent poll conducted by Hart Research Associates in June of 2017. In the same poll, the majority of people thought we should have stricter gun laws in general and again, the majority also felt we would be putting ourselves in more danger if we had more guns on the streets. Here's the deal though, as it pertains to stricter gun laws and whether or not we should have more guns on the streets, it is obvious that Republicans' and Democrats' views are pretty different even though ALL of the research that has been done shows that more guns on the streets and in people's homes equates to more gun violence--over 30,000 deaths per year! And yes, a third are suicides but how many of those deaths could have been prevented if the gun wasn't so readily available? (http://www.pollingreport.com/guns.htm, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/assault-weapons-deaths_us_5763109de4b015db1bc8c123)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Anyway, let's get back to the assault weapons.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">The vast majority gun violence, according the Huffpost article referenced above, doesn't come from assault rifles or rifles in general. The overwhelming majority comes from handguns. So gun-owners and the NRA point to these stats to justify the overall risk in owning the guns isn't significant enough to ban those guns. However, what's the benefit of having those guns? Because they are fun to shoot? Or, because they're used to eradicate feral hogs? Really? How's that working? And you know what else is fun? Driving through the streets of Chicago at 100 mph in a Porsche but that's not legal either.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Here's the point; when things do happen with assault style weapons, it's usually pretty massive and it's overwhelmingly an assault on innocent people like kids at a school or people at a night-club or a concert that are taken by surprise and have no way to defend themselves. Even if every one of those concert goers in Vegas had a handgun, none of them would have been any safer or could have defended themselves against the onslaught of violence that was raining down on them from 32 stories above. Nor does a police officer have much chance of even defending him/herself, much less the general public, when a couple shooters are equipped with such weaponry like what happened on February 28, 1997 in Los Angeles. It's because of the depth of the violence, the potential of loss, and the innocence of the victims that we see these attacks as different and more significant even though the numbers show that it's only a small percentage of the overall gun violence that assault weapons are involved in. We should look at these shootings outside of the overall incidence of gun violence because one; they are so massive in the sense that one incident creates so much devastation and two; because it can be prevented.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Do you know what the original motto of the NRA was?<b>&nbsp;</b><span style="background-color: white;">“Firearms Safety Education, Marksmanship Training, Shooting for Recreation.” This was back in 1871. The NRA was developed to help promote efficiency in shooting and firearms safety. In the 1920's, an arm of the NRA actually proposed legislation to require handgun carriers to have a permit. The point is, is that the NRA has a history of&nbsp; promoting legislation that actually makes people safer as it pertains to gun laws and restrictions on gun ownership. This was consistent all the way through the 60's until an incident happened to NRA member, Kenyon Ballew in 1971, where he was shot an paralyzed for being suspected to be stock-piling illegal weapons. (http://time.com/4431356/nra-gun-control-history/)&nbsp;</span></span><br /><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background: white; font-family: &quot;inherit&quot; , serif;">From that point on, the NRA has been acting like it has some vendetta against any agency or any person they feel is attacking one's right to own and bare arms as they interpret it says in the 2nd Amendment. An exclamation point was firmly placed on the NRA's position on gun control during the 2000 election where Charlton Heston rose a replica of a gun above his head proclaiming&nbsp;that anyone who wanted to take his gun would have to pry it “from my cold, dead hands.”&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background: white; font-family: &quot;inherit&quot; , serif;">Since then, CEO/Vice President and now President of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, has championed the efforts of the NRA to absolutely destroy anyone opposing them by dumping millions of dollars into attack campaigns and propaganda influencing elections on local and national levels.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: white;">Because of the amount of money the NRA is able to raise by instilling fear in gun owners and outdoors-people through the "slippery-slope" of any gun control leading to taking all our guns away, the NRA has achieved a&nbsp;ridiculous&nbsp;amount of power and has the ability to ruin people's carriers when they stand up to them. Over $34 million was spent by the NRA to defeat 19 candidates in last year's general elections. Over $37 million was spent in total against the dems while only about $2k was spent in support of a Democratic nominee. About $17 million was spent supporting republican candidates while only a couple hundred dollars was spent in opposing a republican candidate. Basically what that says, is over twice as much money is spent attacking candidates that oppose the NRA versus money spent supporting candidates. (</span>https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=National%20Rifle%20Assn&amp;cycle=2016)<span style="background: white; font-family: &quot;inherit&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;It's because of this power, that nobody wants to stand up to them even though most of us don't believe in what the NRA really stands for. Most of us want reasonable and responsible gun control measures and the majority don't feel like assault styles weapons should be protected by the 2nd Amendment.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><b><span style="background: white; color: #999999; font-family: &quot;inherit&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Let me just make this point clear; if the NRA really gave one rat's ass about you or me and our rights as American citizens, they would use their power to lead the charge to make us safer and find some compromise. Instead of putting out lies and propaganda in order to defeat those that are trying to protect us, they would actually promote the truth behind what makes people more at risk for experiencing gun violence and they would do what they originally set out to do, which was to promote a safer gun culture through training and legislation. Through those kinds of efforts, they would go much further to protect my rights and my heritage as a hunter and an outdoor enthusiast and I wouldn't have to worry about the all or nothing sum that such opposition has created.</span></div><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Now I know, you're going to say that the NRA did support the banning of fully automatic weapons, which may be true but the reality is, is semi-automatic weapons can easily become fully automatic and the banning of "bump stocks" will just lead to other ways of getting around that kind of restriction. And even if we are limited to just semi-auto weapons, how many rounds do you think a person could get off in a ten-minute period with a semi-auto assault rifle and a dozen or more 100 round clips?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">And listen, I know what you're going to ask. What makes an assault weapon different than, let's say, a Remington 750 semi-automatic .308? Well, they were never set up to be a fully automatic weapon so to my knowledge, there is no attachment or add-on that would make them fully automatic. Also, the clip only holds 4 shells and one in the chamber and you can't buy a hundred round clip that fits it. The largest clip or magazine for that gun I found was ten-rounds. To me, that's a big difference but in all honesty, if you think they're the same then I'm ok with treating them the same and maybe we should talk about whether or not anyone needs even a semi-auto rifle. After doing quite a bit of research, the bottom line is what the gun can be set up to do and causing mass amounts of destruction in a very short period of time seems to be the consistent attribute for assault style weapons whether they are handguns, shotguns or rifles.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Do you know what the percentage is of AR-15 style weapons versus hunting rifles that are available to the public? Nobody does but estimates from a few different sources puts the AR-15 style of rifle at around 1%. As far as the number of other assault style weapons? I think it's safe to say that they're numbers are also not that significant in the grand scheme of gun ownership, which tells me the people that own them are definitely in the minority. Again, most hunters and outdoors enthusiasts really don't care to own them so what are we fighting for? Why do we need them?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">The NRA keeps digging its heals in by releasing statements that put the blame on the ATF for not banning bump stocks years ago and instead of supporting legislation to address the problem, they're trying to pass legislation that puts more guns on the streets suggesting we would be safer if "more of the good guys had guns instead of the bad guys." The real research is overwhelmingly consistent in that more guns create more gun violence and the vast majority of the victims are innocent people, kids, and unintended targets. The likelihood that someone actually defends themselves in an act of violence is far less than someone being either accidentally killed or the gun being used on themselves. Those are the facts but the NRA will tell you otherwise in spite of all the data.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">So what do we do? If you're a sportsman or woman and you want to protect your rights, help lead the charge for a safer gun culture and tell your representatives that you want to protect your heritage as a hunter and an outdoor enthusiast but also realize there might have to be some compromise. Tell those representatives to grow a pair and stand up to the NRA. Join in on the discussion and seek out the facts and support those people and organizations that want to make you safer. If you're dumping money into the NRA in membership fees and donations, I would suggest you stop. At the least, I'd tell Mr. LaPierre that you're unhappy with where the NRA has gone in the last 45 years and you'd like him to be a part of the solution. Ask him what the point of a freer America is if you're dead. Tell him you also want a safer America and hold him to that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999;">Keep 'em where they live...</span></div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-44361331655588226462017-10-06T06:13:00.000-07:002017-10-06T06:13:05.462-07:00Archery Camp 2017 Meat Pole<div dir="ltr">Need I say more?</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5YFUSLof8GQ/Wdd0cZgpi7I/AAAAAAAAJf4/Gp-TXfOS7-EqlL5Mdgnokd3IDdb2ZNhtQCHMYCw/s1600/20171004_132814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5YFUSLof8GQ/Wdd0cZgpi7I/AAAAAAAAJf4/Gp-TXfOS7-EqlL5Mdgnokd3IDdb2ZNhtQCHMYCw/s640/20171004_132814.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We will talk about our 2017 archery camp adventures on the next episode of The Montana Dream Cast. If you missed it, check out Jill and I talking about preparation for the trip on last week's episode:&nbsp;&nbsp;https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-maswk-75619f</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">P.S. I apologize to the folks I've offended by this post.&nbsp;</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-34162687482062132162017-09-28T06:47:00.001-07:002017-09-28T06:47:28.797-07:00To Kneel or Stand...Really?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nBjSUTWXYGU/Wcztghi4TuI/AAAAAAAAJc4/8MrPvvq9KgAViGZx4Bb-gYVxqPyucEdPQCHMYCw/s1600/20141123_112736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nBjSUTWXYGU/Wcztghi4TuI/AAAAAAAAJc4/8MrPvvq9KgAViGZx4Bb-gYVxqPyucEdPQCHMYCw/s640/20141123_112736.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been reading the Twitter box and let me just say, there are a lot of crazy people out there and of course, I'm going to write about it. I'm sure some of you are surprised I have yet but I was getting my thoughts together and wondering if I could do this in a way as to not offend people and lose some followers but now, I don't care. After reading the visceral comments and just the hypocrisy of some people condemning the NFL and its players for taking a stance against social injustice, I'd rather you didn't read this blog. It's your choice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First of all, let me just say that if you decide to stand and put your hand on your heart during the National Anthem, I don't think you're crazy. But, when you decide that your freedom of expression is more important than someone that decides to kneel because they're tired of being discriminated against in this country, which it absolutely does happen, then I feel like you're leaning to the cray, cray. And then, if you decide to publicly come out and use such violent speech, suggesting that we ought to have rules to worship a flag or fire those son's 'a bitches if they don't, then I believe you have full-on leaped into crazy. Yep.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's look at the hypocrisy here. How many examples are there of people disrespecting the flag in this country? If you decide to wave a confederate flag, does that not show disrespect for the American flag? I mean, we did have a war, right? The confederates on one side and the United States of America on the other? Right? We lost more American soldiers in that one war than like all of the next five wars we fought in combined. But that's somehow ok? Or, let's say you decide to wave a swastika around claiming it's your right for freedom of speech promoting the ideal or supreme race, knowing how many people Hitler killed mercilessly. Somehow that's not as offensive as kneeling or sitting or locking arms peacefully at a football game as a way to bring attention to the minorities that don't feel apart of this culture because of the way they've been and are being treated?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's the deal, all you people blasting the NFL and its owners for siding with their players; are you serious? The majority of the players belong to a minority group. Many have come from areas in our country that have been left behind. Many have seen and experienced the brutality and the unfair treatment of our judicial system and other American institutions and they are the product that's on the field making these owners their money. It's because of those players that the owners enjoy the success they have so what would you do? Side with a president that refers to your bread and butter as, "Son's 'a Bitches," or support those players that are supporting your ass?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can't force people to side with you. They either do or don't. Hopefully, we create a culture and a system of institutions that people will agree to and align with. It's called a democracy. And when people are getting the shaft, they should speak out. That's also a key part of being a democracy. When we limit or deny a group from speaking out, that's called fascism. It's something we fought World Wars over. It's something we continue to fight against today in other countries. Is that where we're heading? Is that what you want?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two things kind of bum me out here. One is that what was a peaceful protest to bring light on social injustices has now become an entirely different argument thanks to the pres. Thanks pres. But at the same time, his ignorance and volatile comments has just brought more attention to the situation and has united more people to the cause, i.e., the owners and coaches and the vast majority of the players locking arms and uniting. But please, let's get back to the issue that started this. Let's have some dialog not about kneeling or standing but about how we can include people from all these different cultures, races, ethnic groups, and backgrounds that we all benefit from, into our culture and find a way to reach some kind of social <i>justice. </i>We can't burry our heads anymore. Racism exists. Discrimination exists. Police brutality exists. Let's do something about it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the other thing I want to make clear is that of those players that decided to make a statement by kneeling, which is their right, use your voice by also participating in the institutions provided by our government. Vote. Yeah, that's right Kaepernick, go to the fricken polls and vote! And if any of the other players that decided to protest didn't vote, then shame on you, too.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-49264136775053141242017-09-25T13:24:00.000-07:002017-09-25T13:24:14.295-07:00How The Power Bugle Ruined Archery Hunting<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tGLFb9hDGTo/WclhlbWYBPI/AAAAAAAAJao/2mS2BZeac8k8A2cetrgo30FSymWSYQD7gCLcBGAs/s1600/power_bugle_package_carousel__03010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="792" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tGLFb9hDGTo/WclhlbWYBPI/AAAAAAAAJao/2mS2BZeac8k8A2cetrgo30FSymWSYQD7gCLcBGAs/s640/power_bugle_package_carousel__03010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-u5m3f-745894#.WcUEwmQbIDs.blogger">How The Power Bugle Ruined Archery Hunting</a><br /><br />Yeah, I said I--on last week's "The Montana Dream Cast." Click the link and check it out.<br /><br />Here's the deal: I was hunting the other day in my little honey hole and after hiking for a couple miles in the dark, I positioned myself to start glassing and checking out the parks where I had shot multiple elk before and these guys started blowing the Power Bugle--my hunt was pretty much done.<br /><br />The problem is, is that this call, as well as many other calls, have allowed dudes from all over to think they might have what it takes to call in an elk, just by blowing into a tube. They don't do their research. They don't consider the time of the rut they are hunting, and they can't call for shit. And as a result, the elk stop talking. And the funny part is these same dudes blame the wolves for the elk not talking. Really? How long have elk and wolves inhabited the same regions? Hundreds of thousands of year? And how long have elk been bugling during the rut? Hundreds of thousands of years? And how long have inexperienced hunters been flooding the mountains making horrendous noises with this Power Bugle? A couple decades? So where's the problem when in the past years, the elk just won't talk?<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-35647542105810563592017-09-18T06:12:00.000-07:002017-09-18T06:16:25.525-07:00That Ought'a Put a Damper on Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZsxpRbSbmMA/Wb51bQ8ZU3I/AAAAAAAAJYo/FH220BB94GwX4GTKV3AKhf5lF0yoMAVmwCHMYCw/s1600/2017-09-17%2B07.14.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZsxpRbSbmMA/Wb51bQ8ZU3I/AAAAAAAAJYo/FH220BB94GwX4GTKV3AKhf5lF0yoMAVmwCHMYCw/s640/2017-09-17%2B07.14.19.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is looking up at one of the more iconic landmarks in the area; the Sleeping Giant. It's so socked in, you can't see it. A very welcoming site for us right now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The past weekend brought much needed snow to South West Montana. In some areas of the high-country, this storm dumped a couple feet, which should douse the fires. If that didn't do it, this next storm coming in should.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't have the official tolls but it's been said in multiple publications that over a million acres burned up in Montana, killing 2 wildfire fighters and millions of dollars in property damage. Apparently, this was the driest summer since 1929 out here. Couple that with the beetle kill, the fact that we've been fighting fires for so long not letting some of them burn, there was an exorbitant amount of fuel in the mountains. I know it won't look pretty for a while and I do feel for those who lost property and more importantly, the lives of those firefighters but we did need the burn--not sure we needed it all at once though...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where they live...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-65078627837282013172017-09-15T18:36:00.001-07:002017-09-15T18:36:10.844-07:00Close Encounters of the Elk Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsnaYs4TtJU/Wbx87j4OaAI/AAAAAAAAJXI/vEDrUOeE-W8bzTmlPWGtkz3DQYEr8JLngCLcBGAs/s1600/facebook_212002349-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="531" height="574" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsnaYs4TtJU/Wbx87j4OaAI/AAAAAAAAJXI/vEDrUOeE-W8bzTmlPWGtkz3DQYEr8JLngCLcBGAs/s640/facebook_212002349-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />No. I didn't shoot this elk this year. This was the bull I shot in 2010 but I didn't have any pics of elk hunting from this year yet so I recycled...just trying to be responsible. You know--reduce, re-use, recycle?<br /><br />Anyway, check out The Montana Dream Cast for some stories of this year's hunting as well as fishing reports and further discussion on cattle grazing on public lands.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-b2q5q-73b6d5#.Wbx8ImSXPJY.blogger">Close Encounters of the Elk Kind</a><br /><br />Here are some of the links we referenced in the podcast:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM_FR7I2Ttw<br /><br />This is a Harry Styles video. Yeah, I know...for more songs we feature on the podcast, go to:<br />https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCQcU4BIu4HmD9EDqzh8d-M5Phs6Ezrxm<br /><br />More info:<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grazing_fee<br />http://www.hcn.org/articles/privatize-public-lands-start-with-grazing-fees<br />https://www.blm.gov/policy/im-2017-056<br />https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/bl_gr310.txt<br /><br />http://www.kpax.com/story/36263766/woman-who-drowned-in-missouri-river-had-blood-alcohol-level-of-399<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-11741783375101256242017-09-14T13:30:00.001-07:002017-09-14T13:30:51.563-07:00The Bow Hunter Psyche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlyDiZuen10/WbrjegtgJFI/AAAAAAAAJVo/c8lkUMfP7MoweKp5RMcSm_sdX-2Qc-sVwCLcBGAs/s1600/HomeSweetHome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlyDiZuen10/WbrjegtgJFI/AAAAAAAAJVo/c8lkUMfP7MoweKp5RMcSm_sdX-2Qc-sVwCLcBGAs/s640/HomeSweetHome.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Where's that fricken music coming from? And why is it getting louder? "Ding, d'ding ding ding. D'ding d'ding ding ding..." Crap! It's my alarm. Didn't I just go to bed? "Ding, d'ding ding ding..."<br /><br />I roll over to find my phone and touch the screen to send it into snooze mode. Even just rolling over, I feel my knee aching, my lower back wound up tight as the bow string on my Hoyt and hear the internal dialog of the guy on the right shoulder, (Hope,) telling me to get up while the guy on the left, (Doubt,) is saying, "Dude, it's just not worth it. Go back to sleep. There ain't any elk out there anyway. At least hit the snooze one more time."<br /><br />I don't hit snooze again because the guy on the right keeps saying, "You can't shoot anything sitting on the couch and you only have one more day off this week. You have to GET UP!"<br /><br />The clock reads 4:40am. I'm so tired but I drag my butt out of bed and hobble my way to the coffee pot where a fresh pot has already been brewed. I set the timer last night knowing it would be one more bit of leverage to get me up and moving. I wouldn't want to waste an entire pot of coffee by letting it sit for a couple hours on the burner while I sleep. So now I'm up.<br /><br />With a couple sips of my caffeine concoction--coffee, cream and a ton of sugar just to make it taste a little like hot chocolate--and a trip down the stairs and then back up, my knee has lubed up a bit and my back has loosened just enough to start feeling like maybe another 6 mile hike up and down the mountain won't be so bad. Besides, I won't be able to get back to sleep now anyway so I might as well go. I throw my gear in the truck and head down the road.<br /><br />It's still dark when I get to the trail head. It's also raining, which is something I haven't seen yet this season but it's definitely welcomed. I'm here. I'm still tired but I am here. I just need to get moving and in a couple hundred yards, my body will warm up and I'll be in hiking mode and life will be good and even though most of the elk have been down in the hay fields all season, maybe this rain and cool weather will push them into the hills. And maybe the bulls will be chasing the cows into this drainage and maybe, just maybe, they'll be talking today...maybe.<br /><br />With the heavy cloud cover, it took a little longer for the light to break through the darkness. I was up in the parks on the top of the mountain by the time it was light enough to see through the peep site on my bow but the clouds were so socked in, I couldn't see more than a couple hundred yards. I cow call a few times with no response. I don't want to bugle yet because if there is a bull out in the park with some cows, I don't want to send him fleeing with his cows down into the timber. I slowly make my way around the edge of the park and into a drainage where I think a group of elk worked their way into a couple days ago. I saw them cross the road coming out of a hay field and spooked up the drainage while I was driving in.<br /><br />"They had to have come up here, right? But what's the chance they'll still be here?" I ask myself.&nbsp; "And if they're not talking, there's absolutely no way I'm ever going to find them. This is ridiculous."<br /><br />I work my way to the top of the drainage and cow called again. Immediately, I hear what sounds to be either a really old bull that can barely get out a bugle, which is really more of a moan, or it's a sick moo-cow. I walk my way through some trees and yep, "F@$##'n cattle."<br /><br />I side-hill my way across the top of the drainage through some pretty thick timber. I haven't seen any fresh sign in this area this season, which I keep attributing to just being too dry and too early but I hadn't been in this drainage yet so maybe there is hope. I know that small herd came up here somewhere but they're not fricken talking so this is going to be that needle in a haystack scenario where the probability of finding those elk is next to nothing. Plus, with all these cattle in here, why the hell would any elk stick around&nbsp; anyway?<br /><br />I keep walking and eventually look down to see what looks to be fresh elk droppings. Maybe they're not "fresh" but they're not all dried up and rock hard like the droppings I had been seeing. Or maybe, they're just droppings that have been rehydrated from the rain...I don't know. Doubt, (the guy on the left shoulder,) is telling me there's no way in hell those droppings are fresh but Hope tells me to cow call again so I take the reed in my mouth, purse my lips and blow while sliding the call deeper into my mouth creating the "mee-ewww," sound finishing with a fat, "blat" of the loose reed vibrating against the plastic mouth piece. No response.<br /><br />I call again and then grab the plunger-type call, the "Hoochie mamma," and hit it. Still nothing. This is pointless. Doubt is starting to gain momentum.<br /><br />I've been out now 4 or 5 times and although I've seen a lot of elk in the hay fields, I've only seen one group in an area I could hunt and with the swirling winds, they busted me. I've probably hiked a good 25 miles this season already going up and down these mountains and nothing has really got me all that excited. It's actually starting to get a little frustrating but I keep going back to my experiences over the past few years and I know things can change in an instant. Everything can seem to be going wrong or at least, you see no sign of elk or that elk had been in an area for days and then bam! There they are.<br /><br />"Just keep walking, Russ," says the guy on the right. "And watch your step...but keep your head up and keep scanning the timber."<br /><br />"Crack," says the little twig under my left foot.<br /><br />"Watch your step!"<br /><br />I pull my cow call to my lips again and call as though I'm disguising the sound I made with that of a cow elk. Right, as if an elk is going to hear me stumbling around and then hear me cow call and think. "Huh, I think that's just another elk." Ya, right.<br /><br />Elk hunting is one of those activities that kind of puts you into this mode of reflection and contemplation where one second you're thinking of all these random things like relationships, work,&nbsp; my Costco list, or what I'm going to write about in this blog or talk about on the podcast tonight and then in a second, all those thoughts and mental notes get blown up, like driving down the road in some hypnotic trance and then someone pulls out in front of you, almost clipping your front corner panel and your entire being shifts from modus contemplation to some kind of "go-mode" where you have to react in a self-preservationist act by first; swerving, then hitting the brakes, and then of course, flipping off the other driver and mouthing the words, "What the f@#$!" in such a manner that you know they know what you're saying. It's in that moment where all these other thoughts leave and you become ultra-focused on the one task at hand.<br /><br />I put my head down as to not step on another twig and walk a few yards. I lift my head up to scan the timber again and as my eyes train up-hill to the left, my thoughts disappear and I go, "go-mode" as I see the body of an elk literally only 25 yards away.<br /><br />"Shit. Did it see me? Which way is it looking? Where's the wind coming from?" All these thoughts are now replacing the deep thoughts that occupied my brain for the past hour or so and let me tell you, these thoughts are causing some serious excitement and also a little anxiety. I'm not going to lie. When it happens, there's a bit of stress and those hunters that are successful have the ability to mitigate that stress. Those that can't, write off their failings to "buck fever." The thing about elk hunting for me, is that it often happens so quick, I don't have that much time to think about failure so I don't get too worked up.<br /><br />Like I said, I saw the body of the elk. It was standing behind some trees and I thought it was looking away from me so I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked it. I was wrong. The elk was looking directly at me and as I nocked the arrow, she caught my movement and cocked her head to the side to get a better look and I found myself in a stare-down.<br /><br />It only took a couple seconds for her to turn and start off down the ravine heading away from me. I cow called and she stopped. She then turned and walked towards me. I heard a short bark from another elk that was behind her, which happened to be a small bull and then another elk, which was her calf. She walked closer and then I felt me heart pounding just a little heavier.<br /><br />She came to within about 15 yards before she stopped to get a better look at me. She was staring directly at me. Her calf was standing right behind her and the bull was still about 30 yards out, behind some trees. Doubt chimed in, "You're busted."<br /><br />Hope responded, "Duh."<br /><br />She turned, he turned, the calf turned and I watched them lumber down the ravine and out of sight.<br /><br />I've felt that feeling before of being busted by an elk and I have to say, sometimes I'm wrong. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they flick their ears and move on as if they figure there's nothing wrong here and you get the shot. That wasn't the case this time but I still feel like this was a small victory. I snuck up to well within shooting range of three elk in the timber and although I didn't shoot, and I wouldn't have shot the cow with the calf anyway, I was pretty damn close and in the past, I've had it go completely the other way where I do get the shot and then I'm scrambling to find buddies that can get off work to help me pack out. I was "that" close and what that does is gives Hope a little louder voice and Doubt can kiss my ass.<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-24726783246027414912017-09-12T06:18:00.002-07:002017-09-12T06:20:27.593-07:00This year might be a process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uCUIBNGUDc/WbfY2b_6CuI/AAAAAAAAJT4/xvy6KUe1jBcwCl2eHA-p4zaQII_Cmqd0gCLcBGAs/s1600/20140908_200725_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uCUIBNGUDc/WbfY2b_6CuI/AAAAAAAAJT4/xvy6KUe1jBcwCl2eHA-p4zaQII_Cmqd0gCLcBGAs/s640/20140908_200725_LLS.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I absolutely love this time of the year. Things start to cool down...well, typically. Football get's rolling and the bow season gives me something to be grateful for when I have days off. I'm not going to lie; I've been pretty damn lucky the past several years so I know I'm in for a couple off years on the elk. With the weather and the dry conditions, this year is either going to be that dry year or at least, it will be a process.<br /><br />It's week two and I've actually spent a little time in the mountains already. I usually see elk on the way in, coming out of ranchers hay fields but nothing in the hills. It's dry and crunchy and the elk want to be where the good food is. They also need water and with a limited supply in the high country, it seems that the cattle have taken over those drainages so the elk are down on private property. It's kind of ironic really. (BTW, Scott Hirschi and I discuss the cattle situation on The Montana Dream Cast along with our taste-test of Hoot wine and the most effective means for pissing out of a boat. You should really check it out.&nbsp;https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4brka-727587 )<br /><br />Anyway, the elk hunting is going to remain a little tough until two things happen. One is that the weather changes drastically and the second is that the cows start feeling the need to pro-create if you know what I mean. We do have a shift in weather that is suppose to come this week. I really hope it amounts to what they are predicting. We need the moisture and we definitely need the help to suppress the fires out here. (Over a million acres have burned in MT alone.)<br /><br />I did run into a few elk the other night. I was actually surprised to see them out in the parks a good two hours before sunset. I was hiking around, checking out wallows and watering holes when heading back to the truck, I spotted them. Where they were, I thought it would be an easy sneak. Something about how lucky I've been over the years, sometimes gets me a little too confident on these encounters.<br /><br />I didn't take much time to make a good plan and my execution on a bad plan was horrible. The wind swirled. I made a little too much noise and all I heard was one giant growling bugle as the bull called to his harem to say, "Let's get the hell out of here, ladies." He also may have been telling me to F'off but either way, one bugle and they were gone.<br /><br />A couple days later, I saw that little heard coming out of a hay field and going up a drainage where I have access to. Again, I hiked in and called a few times only to hear one growling bugle echo throughout the canyon and again, the old bull was probably just letting me know where to stick it. With persistence he will make a mistake and you will hear about it on this blog.<br /><br />Keep 'em where they live...Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816342419292863390.post-69709699222885981912017-09-07T05:32:00.000-07:002017-09-07T05:37:00.108-07:00Hunting in the Heat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZKWZiXe6apk/WbE2331MoAI/AAAAAAAAJSI/h3CtoKiPBEg-pMxcmiouZeBQECQPbtpvQCHMYCw/s1600/2017-09-07%2B06.08.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZKWZiXe6apk/WbE2331MoAI/AAAAAAAAJSI/h3CtoKiPBEg-pMxcmiouZeBQECQPbtpvQCHMYCw/s640/2017-09-07%2B06.08.06.jpg" width="359" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is something seriously wrong with bow hunting in shorts out here in Montana. We should have had a couple inches of snow in the high country by now or at least some kind of dusting but that's not going to happen anytime soon. Yesterday was approaching 90 degrees; even at 7,000 feet and the animals wanted nothing to do with it. I should have gone golfing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're looking for elk in these conditions, you'll have to find water and food. I had a pretty good idea that I'd be fighting the uphill battle, trying to find them in the mountains right now but I really just wanted to check out the conditions. I did find water, which is obviously a good thing but there isn't a whole lot of food. The grass never really got growing so it's mostly sage and sparse blades in the parks. It's not good. What is there, is crunchy and probably not all that desirable to the animals. I didn't even see a mule deer. The only grazers I did see were cattle and they were pretty much dominating the creek bottoms and had already eaten up anything green. About the only positive is that there are no other hunters...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BTW, if you want to get notifications for posts from this blog, sign up at the top of the column to the right. It's easy. It's FREE and you'll be in the know, for all that is The Montana Dream.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep 'em where the live...</div>Conehead Buggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02917318567190015482noreply@blogger.com0